1. Native iron

The use of iron is very ancient, dating back to more than 1,000 BC, and was particularly well known in the Near East. At that time, iron in its metallic state was of meteorite origin, and was shaped solely by hammering. Naturally, discoveries were few and far between, and processing was difficult. At the time, iron was a precious metal reserved for the manufacture of jewelry and ornaments for the powerful. On the other hand, iron oxide (ore) is found in large quantities in the earth's crust and is easy to extract. At the time, iron ore was used in copper metallurgy as a flux to promote the formation of slags to remove impurities.